Hearse having reversible casket table



Jan. 19, 1954 A. M. SCHNEIDER ETAL 2,666,666

HEARSE HAVING REVERSIBLE CASKET TABLE Filed Nov. 15, 1949' s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJ awn/0m M. Sew/V4705? 04:: A. our/i:

WWI/M J n- 1954 A. M. SCHNEIDER ETAL HEARSE HAVING REVERSIBLE CASKET TABLE Filed NOV. 15, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR/Vf/S 19, 1954 A. M. SCHNEIDER ETAL 2,666,666

HEARSE HAVING REVERSIBLE CASKET TABLE Filed Nov. 15, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet :5

k A 1N VEN TOR.

fi7GW-J4 A/vzwa/vr m. scan/flat? .4045: A. oar/54?. BY

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 OFFICE HEARSE HAVING REVERSIBLE CASKET TABLE Anthony M. Schneider, Detroit, and Jules A. Olivier, Grosse Pointe, Mich.

Application November 15, 1949, Serial No. 127,302

This invention relates to a hearse construction and more particularly to a track arrangement for aside service type of hearse.

A'hearse having a door opening at each side as well as at the rear "for removal of a casket is commonly referred to as a side service hearse. Side service hearses of conventional construction are provided with a casket table in the casket compartment and a track arrangement for the table which permits movement of the table so that its front end may be guided to a position projecting outwardly through the door opening at either side of the hearse. The track also enables the table to be moved rearwardly to permit removal of the casket from the rear end of the hearse. However use of the rear door necessitates carrying the casket into the road on which the hearse is parked and the rear door is therefore not ordinarily usedduring the course of a funeral for either placing the casket into the hearse or removing it from the hearse.

6Claims. (01.296-16) body is placed in a hearse feet first and it is desired to remove the casket from the hearse and carry it feet foremost, it becomes necessary for the pall bearers to turn casket around after removing it from the hearse. This procedure of turning a casket aroundat the side of a hearse is awkward and sometimes dangerous. For example, almost all cemeteries have narrow roads and an incline directly at the side ofvthe road. Thus the procedure of turning a casket around at the side of the hearse in the cemetery is very dangerous since the pallbearers have to walk backwards up the incline at the side of theroad and in wet weather or when'the ground is covered with ice and snow, the possibility of a mishap is even greater. This. danger is even more pronounced in. the case of rural cemeteries where in many instances it is impossible to drive the hearse into the cemetery. Under these conditions, the hearse must be parked on the road, which in most instances is a rural one with ditches at either side, and the casket must be turned around ina ditch or a snow bank or under other hazardous conditions. The fact that side service hearses of conventional design necessitate the cumbersome and dangerous procedure of turning the casket around at the side of the hearse has resulted in many funeral directors looking upon side service hearses with much disfavor.

' There is also associated with side service hearses of conventional design another feature which makes for unnecessary confusion and inconvenience during the funeral. In the conventional hearse, the track arrangement and table are designed such as to permit the table to be withdrawn with its forward end first through one of the side door openings and withsuch construction, the table is locked while in transit at a position somewhat centrally, in a longitudinally direction, of the hearse compartment. With such an arrangement the only space available for the placing of flowers is on top of and along each side of the casket. Therefore, when it becomes necessary to remove the casket from the hearse, either at the church or at the cemetery, the side coors must be opened first to remove the flowers at each side of the casket so that the casket may be Withdrawn.

It is an object of this invention to provide a hearse construction which enables removal of a casket from a hearse either head first or feet first regardless of the position in which the casket is placed into the hearse.

It is furthermore 'an object of the present invention to provide a track arrangement for a side service hearse which permits removal of a casket from the side door openings either head first or feet first without in any way modifying the more or less standard dimensions of a conventional side service hearse.

A further object of the invention is to produce a construction for a side service hearse which provides a flower compartment at the rear end of the casket compartment which eliminates the necessity for placing the flowers along the sides of the casket. x

More specifically, the invention contemplates a side service hearse having a vehicle seat which is movable forwardly from the normal driving position so as to increase substantially the effective length of the casket compartment when it is desired to remove the casket from the hearse. The track and table arrangement of our hearse are designed to permit the table to be moved forwardly from a normal position of transit and when in such forwardly shifted position, to be pivoted so that the rear end of the table can be guided to a position projecting out of the door opening at either side of the hearse. In a con-' sions. In other words, an important feature (ifour hearse construction is that -it' can be ingerporated on any frame and chassis arrangement of standard hearse design.

In the drawings: 1 a d a Figure l is a perspective view with parts broken away of a hearse embodyingpur invention; the; casket table being shown in the normal position g of transit.

Figure 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan View of our hearse showing the mariner in which the casketmay be remov'edhead-first;. that is with the fro'ntend of the casket table foremost.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure-2 showing removal of the'casket feet first.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, with parts brokenaway, showing'the stop mechanism for the hearse table, the front stop being shown in the engaged position and the rear stop in. the disengaged position;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the stop arrangement with bothstops shown in the en'- ga'ge'd positions.

Figure 6 is-a sectional view through the platform of the hearse. compartment showing both stops for the casket table in the nz'leasedposi tion.

. Figure '7 is a sectional view taken along the lines 'L-lin Figured;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of, the track on the platform of the casket compartment taken substantially along lines 8+8 inFigure 4. l

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along lines 9+8 in Figure 2; r

Referring to .the. drawings, particularly to Figure 1-; ther'eis shown a conventional hearse body is havingfront'andrearside doors "l2. and 4 at each side thereof which overlap along their free edges to provide, a wide openingat each side of the hearse which is defined at its front end by a; front dooigpillarqlt and at its rear end by a rear door pillar !8;- Within. the hearse body there is mounted a conventional vehicle seat WhlChyl-S shiftable from. the'normal drivingposi tion shown in Figure :1 forwardly toga position adjacent the steering wheel 22. The fioorof the casket compartment comprises a; platform '24 which extends at its frontend just to thexr'ear of seat '20 when in normal'drivingposition. The rear end of platform 24 extends to the door opening 26 at the rear end of the hearse. The casket compartment is generally defined by the re 'tli width of platform 24. 'At there'ar n oftie'casliet compartment its 'width is when 'decr'eased by housings 2c atfea'ch "side "enema the rear whe 1s of the vehicle. d position of the rear'doo'r pillars P8 and therefore the shear the side door 'opnings is determined by the location of the from end r-hof ee i- With the exception ofthe forwardly movable rr1 seat 20, -the con ruction thus far described is morebr less conventionaland is din'ien'sioned 4 in accordance with standard hearse design as set forth above.

Platform 24 includes a floor 30 having a plurality of ball bearings 32 thereon which are ar- 5 ranged to support a casket table 34 for rolling movement on the platform. Table 34 is in turn provided with a plurality of cylindrical rollers 36 for rolla-bly suppprting a casket 31; The moverhent of table on floor 30 is controlled by a 10 track arrangement which comprises a longitudihal groove 38 on floor 30 and angle brackets 48 or the like mountedon the under side of table 30 previa a 'giiideway for rollers 42 which are securely mounted on the under side of table -34by 'sh 44-; Groove 38 and brackets ext'ii'd ceritrau of platform 24 from the rear end thereof forwardly to a point 46 spaced rearwardly of the front end of the platform. Table 34 is provided with two rollers 42 on the under side 20 thereof, the spacing of-l'which will be presently described. I 7

Floor 30 is also provided with a pair of trans-- verse grooves 48 and 50 which extend from groove 38 and converge toward each of the side door g5 openings. On the under side of table 30 angle members 52 are assocjated with each of the g-oroves 48 and 5G to define transverse guideways for rollers 42-. Grooves 48' and 59 are arcuate in r shape, groove la-defining a circumferential path generated by a radius having ;its center at the front end 45 of groove. Rollers 42 are spaced longitudinally of; table such that when the front roller is disposedat the front end 46 of V groove 38 the rear roller is-alienedwith the'trahsg verse track portions 43. lhe front roller 42 is spaced rearwardly ef the front end of table 34, a distance approximately equal to the distance through which seat 20 moves in a forwardly direction from the normal driving position shown 16 in Figure 1 to the position shown'in Figure 3.

To facilitate the ,proper' movement of table 34 along thedesired tr ack section s, there is providedon the under sidelof floor as a front stop 54 engageable with front roller '4 2 and a rear 15 stop 56 engage-able with rear {roller 4.2. Stop 54 arranged adjacent the intersection of track 38 en ings? e9; th wh h front roller eet a e o t i track 3e -just ahead of tracks'tfi. cried to engage-rear roller stop 54 i roifiid integrally with a bushing e rene ade me ee es er '52 t i ve s s .Q Platf rm g i handl is fixed at-each enrd of 58'. Stop a; a s th rii likewise e ds tra sversely of platform 24. An intermediate iililef ji fi 5% 2 Pei! f; ee in fi and it fixed to the "shaft -and lbu shingjli H I, T 16 011 ran 'filfl f and 'at -th'e other (gasp an sse 6g is oh biishing'fi B. 7o shafts 'tg a gst "are intere'onifeetee by a line s ured at oiije end to aeraiiaerm 82 on bushing 10 and at the other end toa crank arm 8 4 fined on shaft 62.- b r A T es crenl ms n ii s er asz 15 that-in the releasedgposition stops 54:-and 5l$ ex t'end horizontally and are free of rollers 42 as is shown in Figure 6. When handle 60 is turned 90 in a clockwise direction, that is, to the position" shown in Figure '4, stop 54 is rotated to a vertically downwardly extending position and an oppositely disposed stop member 86 on bushing 55 engages the front face of front roller 42 and shifts table 34 rearwardly to a position where front roller 42 is aligned with tracks 50. The rotation of crank arm 18 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 4 is, by reason of the lost motion connection 12, ineffective to rotate crank arm 82 and stop 56 therefore remains in the horizontal position. .If handle 68 is then rotated 180 in a counter-clockwise'direction, both stops 54 and 56 are rotated to the em gaged position shown in Figure 5. It will be appreciated, of course, that stops 54 and 56 may be operated by means other than those shown. They may for example be electrically actuated.

The normal position of table 34 while in transit is the locked position illustrated. in Figures 1.

substantial distance from the rear door opening 26. A pair of doors 88 are hinged along vertical edges to housings 28 at each side of the hearse, doors 88 being positioned such that in closed position, they form a compartment 96 just to the rear of table 34 in which flowers may be arranged. It will be appreciated that with table 34 in the normal position for transit, the basic dimensions of the standard hearse design permits compartment 90 to have a length equal approximately to one quarter the length of the casket compartment. The rear portion of track 38 is closed by a filler strip 92 which slidably engages in track 38 so that flowers and the like will not fall into. the track.

Assuming that table 34 is in the normal position -for transit, that is, in a position illustrated in Figure 1 with rollers '42 locked in place by stops 54 and 56 as illustrated in Figure 5, and it is desired to remove the casket head flrst, that is with the front end of table 34 projecting out of one of the side door openings, handle 60 is pivoted 180 to the position shown in Figure 4. In this position, front roller 42 shifted rear.-

wardly into alignment with tracks 50 by stop member 86 andtable 34 may be pivoted towards either side of the hearse so that front roller 42 follows one of the tracks 50, that is, from the position shown by broken lines to the position shown by solid lines in Figure 2.

If it is desired to remove the casket feet first, that is, with the rear end of the table projecting out of one of. the side doors, then handle 60 is pivoted from the position shown in Figure to the position shown in Figure 6 so that rollers 42 are free of both stops. Seat 20 is then shifted forwardly to the position shown in Figure 3 and the effective length of the casket compartment is thereby substantially increased. Table 34 is then shifted forwardly to a position where front roller 42 is at the front end 46 of track 38. In this position rear roller 42 is aligned with tracks 48 and the table may be pivoted about front roller 42 so as to guide the rear roller 42 along either of the tracks 48. I have found that with conventional hearses that if seat 20 is moved forwardly approximately 14 inches, sufficient clearance is provided to enable the rear end of table 34 to swing through the door opening at either side of the hearse without interference from the rear door illars l8. At the same time the front end or the casket table swings away from the 'rear side of the forwardly moved sat to: wards the doors on the opposite side of the hearse. I

It will thus be seen that I have provided a hearse construction which enables a casket to be removed fromta hearse either'end first without altering any of the basic dimensions of a standard hearse design. The invention provides a hearse which is more convenient to use and which enables funerals' to be conducted with much less confusion and without the danger associated with the operation of'turning the casket around at the side of the hearse. Furthermore, it will be observed that by positioning the casket table while intransit at the front end of the casket compartmentample-space is provided at the rear end'ofthe casket compartment to form a flower compartment accessible through the door at the rear end of the hearse. This flower comparte ment avoids the necessity of placing the flowers along side the casket and simplifies the funeral procedure considerably since the flowers may be removed either simultaneously with, prior to or subsequent to the removal of the casket from the hearse.

We claim:

1. In a conventional side service hearse having a platform in the casket compartment supporting a casket table, the combination of a vehicle seat positioned forwardly of the casket compartment, said seat being shiftable forwardly to temporarily increase the effective lengthof said casket compartment, a main track on said platform extending in a direction longitudinally of the casket compartment, said track having branch portions extending transversely of said casket compartment toward the door openings at each side of said hearse, a front and rear track follower on said table engaged in said track, said table being movable forwardly in said track, when said seat is shifted forwardly, to a position where the front end of the table occupies the space normally occupied by-said'seat and said rear track follower is aligned with said branch track portions, said table when in said forward position'being pivotable about the front trackfollower and within the" confines of said casket compartment to move the rear track followeralong either of said branch track portions and thereby project the rear end of said table outwardly through the door opening at either side of the hearse. r

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said branch track portions are of arcuate contour in horizontal section.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said branch track portions define a circumferential path generated by a radius struck from a point on the longitudinal axis of said main track.

4. In a conventional side service hearse having a platform in the casket compartment supporting a casket table, the combination of a vehicle seat positioned forwardly of the casket compartment, said seat being shiftable forwardly to temporarily increase the effective length of said casket compartment, track means on said platform, guide members on the under side of said table movable in said track means for guiding the movement of said table in said casket compartment, said track means and guide members being arranged such that when said seat is shifted forwardly, said table is movable forwardly along said track means to a position where the table extends longitudinally of the casket compartment and the front end of the table extends into the additional space 

